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| Josh Fetzek |
| Sunday, 26 November 2006 09:49 |
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 Keep up with Josh here: www.myspace.com/nailedfuckingshut Â
 Growing up my dad played drums for a living in various 80's top 40 cover bands. I was exposed to drumming from birth, and my absolute favorite thing growing up was to see my father play his drums. It was sort of rare that he would play at home, but when he did, I was always moved by his talent and the way he played with deep feeling. I would seldom play his drums as a little kid, and I always associated them with all his other stuff I wasn't supposed to touch... His guns, his tools... His stash... But one day around age 9 I literally rose from a dream of knowing how to play the drums, and a life long dream was formed. I timidly called him at work and asked if I could play his 1969 American-made Gretsch drumkit. I went down into the basement and tapped out some "Paradise City" and "Sad But true" every day after school all through middle school. I hadn't been exposed to much metal at that age, but I was hooked on Metallica. For like 5 years. That was all I ever played. Some friends tried getting me into death metal when I was in 7th or 8th grade, but I couldnt get it. It wasn't Metallica, so I wasn't going to like it. But then, at the beginning of highschool, They turned pop, and it was all down hill from there. I got into Korn. Then they turned pop and I played in shitty punk bands for a while till I met some metal dudes. My first real metal band was, and still is Vulnerata. They still make fun of me for having liked Korn. (You should too.) When Vulnerata began, I had heard so little underground metal that my first instinct was to make it sound as much like Metallica as possible. The guitar player and founding member Chad Pederson is singularly the man responsible for getting me into death metal. Well him, and the fat kid from homeroom who liked Cannibal Corpse. Vulnerata has undergone a constant evolution since it's inception, all the while spiraling deeper into the depths of brutality. But we still tune to E, just like Metallica. Once we found "our sound" I found a reason to aspire to get better at my instrument. I couldn't even come close to doing a blast beat 7 years ago. For a while I didn't even use a double pedal. But I found in death metal a level of skill, dedication, and virtuosity that is unparalelled in modern music. I saw and heard and was inspired by the ability that certain humans have to make themselves into machines. To train mind and muscle to achieve such speed and precision takes lifelong dedication. The amount of practice required to play on the level of The Masters (Roddy, Laureano, Longstreth, Hoglan, Reinert, Christy, Mounier, Etc...) That amount of discipline and constant practice can not be measured in hours, but rather years and decades. I have been drumming a mere 15 years, and I have only been playing this style of music for maybe 8 or so years. In my opinion, I should be far better than I am by now. Such is the nature of this instrument. You can never stop learning and improving, and you can never be too humble... You can never be the best. You could have your ass handed to you by a kid half your age who's been playing one tenth as long as you. You could have an 80 year old man school you in single stroke rolls. You could be the most mediocre timekeeper and become vastly successful and famous beyond your wildest dreams. Or you could be a complete technical wizard and play in 14 bands and still need to work part time at a record store to pay the bills.
 Josh Fetzek Interview: Â Â SD.com: How old were you when you started playing? Â Â SD.com: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps? Â Â SD.com: Ever take any lessons? Â Â SD.com: Who are your top 5 influences? Â Â SD.com: Assuming that influences doesn't mean favorites, who are your favorites? Â Â
  SD.com: Let us know 5 CD's that are in your current rotation Origin: Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas Angelcorpse: The Inexorable(best. album. ever.) Psycroptic: Scepter of the Ancients Death: Individual thought Patterns Nile: In Their Darkened Shrines.   SD.com: Do you practice any specific rudiments or combo's regularly?   SD.com: What is your favorite part of your drum kit?  Â
  SD.com: Do you have any pre-show rituals?   SD.com: If you could give one piece of advice to young drummers, it would be...   SD.com: Who gave the best live performance you've ever seen?   SD.com: If you had to stop drumming, what would you want to do with your life?  |
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